Across The Universe
by writingbya
Summary: Daryl is chosen as Negan's victim and he is awoken by Beth in a heaven-like place surrounded by his deceased friends.


**Across The Universe**

"...hell, you're all gonna be doing that."

Daryl felt reluctant to raise his eyes to the steady bat poised a few inches above his forehead, but he could see a pair of shiny leather boots on the ground in front of him. Much to his own surprise, the realization of his imminent death was not nearly as sickening as he'd imagined, primarily in comparison to the experience of witnessing it occur to another.

From behind the sweaty, blood drenched curtain of his shaggy hair, Daryl's pupils darted to Rick, whose aggressive, dark look had abandoned his grime stained face to be interchanged with an expression of unadulterated fear that was far more painful than the gunshot wound bleeding through the fabric of his torn shirt. There was a moment of mutual understanding betwixt the two wherein Rick's nerve-wracked eyes thanked Daryl, for everything. And Daryl let his eyelids fall down in a sleep-like manner, a solemn farewell to the blurry lineup of trembling people he'd remarkably known as friends.

He bowed his head in acceptance of the fate, hearing the quiet but audible swiping sound of the bat coming down upon his skull before everything came crashing into him. For a moment he was completely unable to feel the pain, but the warm trickle of blood streaming into his eyes and the bloodcurdling cries of his group alerted him that it was there. And when another clobber thudded down on the back of his neck, his senses abandoned him and the world simply disappeared.

"Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup…"

Soft, delicate singing eased Daryl from his flummoxed state of dormancy, eyes lifting to discover an alluring, heavenly, alabaster scene. He vaguely recalled the sound of screaming echoing in the back of his mind, but the dejecting memory drifted away once his dazed mind lifted.

"They slither wildly as they slip away across the universe…"

Silvery light slipped through the gaps in the blonde hair dangling peculiarly above his face, disorienting his vision for a slight moment before he was able to make out the features of the crooning figure. Her cavernous, beryl eyes swallowed him into an elated trance.

"Pools of sorrow, waves of joy are drifting through my opened mind…"

Beth Greene's small, cold fingers ambled nonchalantly over his grimy face as she sang and smiled angelically. A collapsed breath escaped from between his lips when he awoke enough to feel the icy but comforting grazing of her fingertips on his cheek. Her face was pure, the once nocuous scar stamped across her skin had been forgotten along with the mark of bereavement above her left eyebrow.

"...possessing and caressing me…"

Daryl tried to croak out her name, but all that resulted was a mere whisper. She behaved like a Siren, calling a song out to him enchantingly as her hand danced to his shoulder. He felt a beating pain there as he became cognizant of the point of penetration that the argent bullet had left behind. Beth's hand flattened tenderly upon it, swiping her thumb gently across the fatal laceration as if extracting the misery and agony from his very skin. Gone.

"Jai guru deva om…"

A sense of poignant longing washed over Daryl as the blonde strands of hair brushed his chin when Beth moved closer to enclose his hand in hers, skinny fingers weaving themselves through his. She smoothly pulled him to his faltering feet, although he'd felt a warm breeze lift his back in assistance. They stood a foot apart now, Beth peering into his eyes soothingly as her voice assuaged him.

"Nothing's gonna change my world…"

Overcome with another dire intensity of yearning, he stepped forward and enveloped his quivering arms around her delicate body, shutting his eyes and inhaling the sweet scent of her champagne colored hair. Her lips sealed as she matched his movements and wrapped her arms over the wings on his leather vest, but the singing lingered as if in the background of the moment.

"Nothing's gonna change my world…"

She moved farther from the celestial state he had awoken to discover and wandered blithely into the familiar girl whose melody he'd fallen asleep to in the coffin of a funeral home. Her palms and fingers curled into protective balls on his back as she mulishly forced herself closer to him.

"I'm sorry," Daryl ingloriously breathed, eyes squeezing tightly, releasing a single tear down his right cheek. It was his fault. It was all his fault. Beth only grasped him more snugly.

"It's okay," she spoke softly and comfortingly, her crisp and recognizable voice causing him to be fully aware of the supernatural reality surrounding them. They weren't standing on anything, just cloud matter that manipulated his mind into believing there was more to it than just white air. It was similar to being asleep, floating and feeling weightless even though you're quite aware of being in bed.

"Nothing's gonna change my world…"

Looking over her pale shoulder, Daryl's chest pounded with an entirely foreign feeling that radiated through his whole body. It was the best feeling in the world. There was everyone, standing in a half circle about ten feet away, each wearing the clothes they'd died in but appearing clean and new.

Denise was there, smiling with her pair of glasses that were sharper and brighter than they had been last he'd seen her. Noah stood aside her, standing straight as if his mutilated leg had never even been injured. And there was Tyreese next to Bob, the black beanie he'd always worn decorating the top of his head even though they'd buried him without it. An empty space was placed between them where Beth had been, as well as another directly next to hers.

Hershel's eyes were kind, barren of pain and the memories of the gruesome world he'd left so shortly ago, and he stood on two legs once more. Seeming gentler and more content than Daryl had ever seen him, Merle stared proudly at his brother. As Daryl's gaze moved down the line past Andrea, Lori, T-Dog, and the blonde woman called Patricia, he began to smile. It wasn't visible, but he was happier than he'd ever been before, and everyone could see that.

Even Sophia was there, grinning ear to ear at him as if she knew what he'd gone through in an attempt to find her. Her once tattered doll hung from her left hand, fingers clutching its arm tightly as if it was the only thing of importance to her. Jacquie smiled down at the girl from her right, Jim too. And Amy was there, wearing the clean, white patterned shirt that had been so stained with blood the morning after her death. They were all here, peacefully standing right in front of him.

Daryl's mouth hung open slightly, becoming freely elated by the sight, but he sealed his lips together and shut his eyes tightly, holding Beth closer and steadier. She was smiling, he could tell so even if he couldn't see her face. The cold fingers that consoled him so pressed harder but more lovingly into his back as they stood in the mesmerizing place, caring so little about the cruel lives they'd suffered through and so much about the relief from pain that accompanied the simple act of dying.

"Nothing's gonna change my world."


End file.
